Moments In Time
by Sezzi-Queen of the Pixis
Summary: The History Boys. Random glimpses into a relationship between Posner and Dakin, from varying POVs, in sentence form. Dakin/Posner. Contains slash.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the History Boys, Alan Bennett does. If I _did_ own it, Posner would have gotten more than a hug – which is the whole point of these.  
This set: Mostly Posner's POV

1 – Comfort  
Posner was well aware that Dakin was infatuated – if not halfway in love, it was always hard to tell with Dakin – with Irwin, which automatically put the teacher ahead in their not-very-competative-because-he-_knew_-he-didn't-really-stand-a-chance race for the boy, but he still felt a bitter sense of victory that he was the one Dakin had turned to for reassurance after they were told of Hector's death, and he didn't care that it was most likely because the other man was in hospital.

2 – Kiss  
Half an hour later, Posner was kicking himself: he'd had the opportunity to snog Dakin when he'd demanded if that mockery of a hug was all he was getting – he could of quite easily tugged the other boy forward and – but no, in the end he'd just gone for another hug, which was brilliant fantastic _wonderful_...but not quite perfect.

3 – Soft  
Posner liked places that were high up, he could separate himself from the rest of the world and just think...and he liked it more when Dakin came to sit with him, because while he wouldn't get much contemplation done anymore, at least he had something to lean on that wasn't concrete or bark or something.

4 – Pain  
The throbbing in his cheek was all Posner could focus on as Dakin stood in front of him, shoulders heaving and blaming him for everything the dark-haired boy could think of, before he snapped, screamed something in Yiddish or German or French or a combination of the three and sobbed as the pain in his cheek was drowned out by his heart breaking.

5 – Potatoes  
As a child, Posner had always been inordinately fond of chips - he wasn't sure why, perhaps because they didn't have them much at home – and he loved smothering them in whatever sauce came to hand, he wasn't particularly fussed; and not even Dakin's disgust at the practice would make him stop, something that made him feel rather proud of himself, as it meant he wasn't completely hopeless like the other boys were saying.

6 – Rain  
Posner sat and watched the rain the evening after their discussion on the holocaust in Hector's class, and hoped (oh god he _hoped_) that Dakin was being sarcastic when he congratulated Irwin on winning the argument, because he didn't think he could cope if Dakin just...didn't care.

7 – Chocolate  
The bar of Dairy Milk shoved in front of his face shook Posner from his thoughts, and he followed the arm up to the person who held it, which, to his surprise, was Dakin, who refused to meet his eyes and muttered something about 'how you always buy us something even though you don't celebrate'; well, what else could he do but take it and thank the boy properly with a kiss on the cheek?

8 – Happiness  
This was the best moment of his life, Posner decided, as he drained the cup of tar-thick coffee Dakin had shoved into his hands before shuffling off to bed ('because this way you won't wake us all up with the blasted kettle') and found 'I think I kinda love you' scrawled on the bottom with Sharpie marker.

9 – Telephone  
On reflection, it was incredibly sweet, but being woken up at 3am by a drunken Dakin singing 'I Just Called To Say I Love You' outside his window did nothing to put Posner in a good mood, especially when he had only managed to get to bed a couple of hours earlier; so he made sure to _accidentally_ question a hung-over Dakin about it within Timms' hearing the next day, knowing that the eavesdropper would spread it among the others and tease Dakin mercilessly.(1)

10 – Ears  
Ears are really rather useful, Posner mused, as he pulled a rather startled Dakin down for a kiss by said extremities.

11 – Name  
He thought it was weird, after 14 years and a term of being referred to constantly his last name by anyone that mattered in these things – which basically boiled down to everyone but his parents and the teachers from the infant school – to get to university and suddenly go back to being 'David' again, even to the people he'd known for a better part of those 14 years; so he was incredibly thankfully for brilliantly stubborn Dakin (because he'd always be Dakin to him, until told otherwise) who refused to call him anything but 'Posner'.

12 – Sensual  
For some reason, they were sitting eating a fruit salad while talking about various 'facts' – such as carrots helping you see in the dark, and crusts making your hair curly – when somebody, probably Lockwood, brought up the ability to tie a knot in a cherry stalk with your tongue being a myth because 'nobody I know can do it, and I know a lot, if you know what I mean'; Posner snorted at this, leant over Dakin to grab a cherry out of the bowl, plucked the stalk off and proceeded to prove Lockwood wrong; Dakin gulped and couldn't look Posner in the eye for the next three hours.

13 – Death  
Irwin doesn't know when to leave well enough alone, and considering the response last time, decides that they should discuss the holocaust again, this time focussing on what the people might have been feeling; the boys take it in turn to speculate until it gets round to Posner, who tells them in a hollow voice what his grandfather told him about his time in the concentration camps, having to see his older brother waste away...and it's Dakin who ends the discussion, who very calmly tells Irwin to not bring up this topic again, and who steers him out of the classroom and into a bathroom so the other boys won't see his breakdown – and Posner can't help but fall a little more in love with the older boy for it.

14 – Sex  
None of the boys could ever really get past the fact that Posner was almost a full year younger than them - his birthday being in August and theirs all being around September/October – and had a tendency to treat him accordingly, using innuendo for things around him, or just not talking about things when he was in hearing distance they termed too crude for innocent ears; therefore they were all surprised when Posner got annoyed and said "For god's sake, can you just say 'shagged' already, all this innuendo is making my head spin,", Dakin was the only one to laugh.

15 – Touch  
When the boys are out and about, Posner always ends up sat by Dakin – normally at a lower elevation, like on a lower step, or on the bench of a picnic table while Dakin is sat on the table itself, or if they're all sat on the ground Posner will lie down so he can look at the sky while the others talk about things he's not interested in – and no, this isn't always intentional, most of the time the others will make him sit there; he doesn't really mind though, Dakin has a habit of playing with the hairs on the back of Posner's neck idly, not really noticing what he's doing, and it's really _really_ relaxing...and it's also fun to watch Dakin get more and more confused as to why the others are smirking at him.

16 – Weakness  
One thing Posner was thankful for about his affections not being returned was that he knew Dakin a lot better than Dakin knew him, despite what Dakin may think to the contrary, which means that Posner can manipulate the other boy into doing things for him, mostly without Dakin noticing, but when he does he still goes along with it simply because it's sweet, innocent Posner that's done it, and he's too shocked to think of a way out of whatever it is – this amuses the other boys who are often subjected to Dakin's bewildered rants about it.

17 – Tears  
If anyone asked Dakin how he'd met Posner, he'd probably remember it being the first day at secondary and that Posner had been stood off in a corner on his own; if you asked Posner how he'd met Dakin, he'd remember that he was stood in a corner watching a few people he knew and a lot he didn't run around, missing his friends who'd all gone to the comprehensive, and thinking that turning eleven last week really hadn't prepared him for this, and desperately holding back tears because he didn't want to be seen as a wimp by everyone, when a small dark haired boy wandered over, offered him a handkerchief and asked if he'd ever read 'Lord of the Rings', because he and his friend Scripps were having an argument about who was better, Aragorn or Boromir, and what was his name and Posner smiled for the first time since he got the results from his eleven plus.

18 – Speed  
The good thing about living in Yorkshire, in Posner's opinion, is that there are a lot of hills for him to ride his bike down at full speed; he particularly liked winding in and out of the lines painted on the road, but by far the best thing was when Dakin would spot him, pale, and storm after him demanding that he get out of the middle of the road 'before you get hit by a car and die, you idiot', because Dakin would always yank him into a half-hug when he does (eventually) stop.

19 – Wind  
The storm had absolutely terrified Posner, but the thing that scared him most was that he was off in Cambridge while everyone else was in Oxford and oh god what if they were hurt or dead, and he was just reaching to pick up the phone and start dialling when it rang, and when Posner answered he heard a hoarse sounding Dakin saying "oh thank god, _David_..." and suddenly, he wasn't afraid anymore.(2)

20 – Freedom  
Posner was getting a new start, away from the expectations heaped upon him by his family, the derision from his schoolmates, and, though he was rather guilty about it, he was sort of glad to be away from his friends, who, while well-meaning, did very little for his low self-esteem with all their teasing; no, he was here in Cambridge where he knew nobody and nobody knew him, and he could be himself totally and completely, and maybe _finally_ get over his infatuation with Dakin...he hated every minute of it.

21 – Life  
Posner spent much of his time just going through the motions, people expected him to do something, so he did it, because of this he normally had a rather blank expression on his face, oh, occasionally he'd show expression, when watching Dakin (melancholy, wistfulness, happiness), when the other boys were teasing (annoyance, sometimes anger, though normally amused tolerance); the only time his face and actions ever really came alive was when he was performing, it didn't matter what – and _that_ was why Dakin always stared while he was doing so, a calculating expression as if to figure out why _this_ made Posner animated, and how could he recreate it – he never figured out that this was why Posner loved performing, because he could say the things he couldn't find words for that were just _bursting_ to come out, and Dakin would _actually_ pay attention to him.

22 – Jealousy  
He had to remember to thank Scripps for remembering that yes, he was gay, when organising this surprise birthday thing - he was hesitant to call it a party, because it wasn't, not really – as the venue turned out to be one of the local bars that catered to bother sides of the preference spectrum, and if it wasn't for this, he'd never get to see Dakin trying to glare a hole through the man he was currently dancing with; and really, it was rather nice to not be the jealous one for once, especially as it let him know that he was in with a chance; and, he mused, that was probably Scripps' intent all along.

23 – Hands  
Posner's hands were rather long and thin, his grandmother had announced that he had the hands of an artist and tried to make him do violin lessons (he'd thrown a fit and she compromised with singing lessons); Dakin's hands were rather short and blunt, and he used to be rather clumsy and drop things a lot (his mother still calls him 'butterfingers', he hates it) – but somehow, Posner thinks, their hands fit together perfectly.

24 – Taste  
Most of the boys had started smoking a few months ago, mainly because it looked 'cool', however, Posner always found excuses to go somewhere else until they'd finished as he hated the smell of the smoke, thought that standing there with a burning stick of flammable material in your mouth was idiotic, as was flicking hot ash everywhere, they basically destroyed your lungs, and if they tasted as bad as they smelt he wanted nothing to do with them, besides, he was addicted to something far nicer; after a week of Posner avoiding him, Dakin quit.

25 – Devotion  
Scripps had often said that he had a 'spaniel heart' – and really, he couldn't argue; after all, he had spent the last few years pining after the school's Lothario.

26 – Forever  
He'd been told that this was a phase, that it'd pass, but when it got to the end of his first year in the real world, and just over three since he'd last spoken to the man in question, and he still wasn't over him, Posner realised that this...whatever he felt for Dakin was here to stay, and he may as well get used to it.

27 – Blood  
"You are an idiot, a complete and utter idiot," Dakin said as he patched up Posner, _Posner_ of all people, after he got in a fight, before sighing, kissing Posner on the cheek, and saying "but you're my idiot" which really made the whole thing worth it in Posner's eyes.

28 – Sickness  
During the third year at the grammar school, Posner had managed to get the flu, which then developed into bronchitis, meaning he was off school for the best part of a month; however, that was four years ago and he's never had anything worse than a cold since, but Dakin will still walk over and physically put a hat and scarf on him if Posner isn't wearing any; Posner thinks it's sweet.

29 – Melody  
The minute Posner walked out of that classroom, the full force of what he'd just done hit him and he regretted ever singing that stupid song...but the hastily scrawled note shoved into his hand by Dakin as he walked past, reading 'That was sweet, if slightly pathetic', more than made up for any mortification he felt.

30 – Star  
Posner was leaning on a fence in a field, looking up at the stars and working out which constellations were which and remembering the myths around the figure – it was one of his methods for calming down, he'd walked off when the guys decided to fall back on teasing him for entertainment – when he felt a pair of arms go round his waist tentatively, and a chin rest on his shoulder, and he could see dark hair and relatively pale skin out of the corner of his eye so he _knew_ it was Dakin with certainty, and his heart leapt; but all he could think of to say was "If you start singing Elton John down my ear I _will_ hit you."(3)

31 – Home  
Posner had lived his whole life in Sheffield, couldn't think of going anywhere else, it didn't really seem...well, right, so he did his degree at Cambridge, did his teacher training, and took a teaching post at his old school, using Hector as a baseline (without the touching of the boys) - because he certainly remembered more from Hector's lessons than he could from any other, he can still recite the first piece of poetry they were taught – and moved a few streets away from his mum (because he's a good Jewish boy, even if she won't be getting grandchildren out of him) however, nothing really seemed quite...complete until Dakin strolled into his classroom one evening, while he'd stayed late to finish some marking, and proclaimed that he'd grown bored of London and was nicking his couch for the foreseeable future, and something inside Posner clicked back into place.

32 – Confusion  
It was probably a bit mean, Posner decided, turning up at Dakin's birthday do, saying hello, and then wandering off into a corner to discuss theology with one of the other guests, but maybe it'd make the other man realise that yes, he is another person and can function perfectly well without Dakin to focus on; and besides, that look of bewilderment plastered across Dakin's face was priceless.

33 – Fear  
Dakin didn't like small children – he couldn't charm them and he wasn't old enough to get the automatic obedience an adult does – therefore Posner's cousins took great pleasure in swarming him – purely to further their favourite cousin's chances of course, as he could then rescue the dark haired boy.

34 – Lightning/Thunder  
The boys had been taken to some science museum or other - Posner hadn't been bothered to remember which one, it's not like he'd be going back there anytime soon – and, of course, they'd all been drawn to the Van de Graaff generator, what teenage boy would turn down the chance to play with electricity, which turned out to be Dakin, in this case, leading to Posner latching onto him, dragging him over and forcing him to put his hands on it; to the amusement of the other boys, Dakin's hairstyle was destroyed; to Dakin's amazement he actually enjoyed Posner grabbing him; to Posner's joy he was perfectly willing to act on this new discovery.

35 – Bonds  
Posner wasn't sure who was the most annoyed about being handcuffed together, him or Dakin; however, some good had come of it, they'd spent a rather enjoyable few hours plotting Timms' violent death, and Posner felt it was a rather good 'bonding experience', even if that wasn't quite the original intent.

36 – Market  
Posner liked to go down to London to go to Camden, he did it once every few months, when he had enough money for the train fare and to actually buy things, and met up with other likeminded people of his acquaintance; therefore, he was quite surprised when he bumped into Dakin – he wasn't quite sure he wanted the people in Sheffield to know what he was up to, as he was sure to get teased – but on the basis Dakin's attention seemed to be torn between staring incredulously at his face and staring incredulously at his bum (he made a note to thank the vendor who insisted he get those trouser and wear them out) he didn't think that would become a problem.

37 – Technology  
Posner, like many others of his generation, had given into the wonders of technology and joined a networking site, with the intention of tracking down the friends who'd abandoned him when he got into the grammar school, whereas they had to go to the local comp, and annoying the hell out of them; he wasn't expecting to get an email from Stuart _Dakin_ of all people, inviting him out for a drink.

38 – Gift  
Posner collapsed against the doorframe laughing about thirty seconds after opening it; there, in the middle of his living room, was a very annoyed tied-up Stuart Dakin, with a bow stuck to his hair and a post-it stuck to his forehead reading 'Happy Hanukah Dave, - Jimmy'.

39 – Smile  
He walked away, whistling 'Wish Me Luck', and Posner just stood there grinning stupidly; when Scripps asked why he was so happy, all Posner would say was "He didn't say no."

40 – Innocence  
Posner wasn't sure why he'd been classed as the innocent of the group, as he was pretty damn sure he wasn't - you don't grow up the grandchild of holocaust survivors without overhearing some pretty horrific stuff – but the look on Dakin's face when he swanned out his front door in leather pants was well worth the irritation of the last few years.

41 – Completion  
All Posner heard was "Oh, fuck it," before he was dragged up and out of his seat and into a kiss – a very enjoyable kiss, once he got over the shock – and when he opened his eyes, Dakin was stood there grinning sheepishly and the whole world looked a little brighter than before.

42 – Clouds  
Posner had decided to go and watch the clouds, and he must have fallen asleep because when he opened his eyes the sun was in a different place than it was when he closed them, which was annoying, he hadn't really meant to stay out long; oh, and there was also a sleeping Dakin using his stomach as a pillow, but he wasn't complaining about that.

43 – Sky  
"No Dakin, we don't dance about bonfires, nor do we do anything 'sky-clad', for God's sake; we're Jewish, not Druids."

44 – Heaven  
'How would you like to die' was the topic of this lunchtime discussion, and there were all the predictable answers of old age, in a blaze of glory, while sleeping, laughing; until it got to Posner who just smirked and said "Wouldn't you like to know," before laughing at all the scandalous expressions on everyone's faces – he laughed even more when Dakin pulled him off to one side later and said "I hate to break it to you, but I don't think my stamina's _that_ good."

45 – Hell  
'What do you think hell is like', Irwin had asked them, and the boys took great delight in inventing more and more disturbing tortures (and thusly, scarring Irwin for life) until they realised Dakin hadn't said anything, so demanded his idea of hell – "There's no Posner," said with an odd little half-smile – and Posner blushed bright red while the other boys began teasing Dakin.

46 – Sun  
It was the middle of summer, and therefore rather hot – so hot, in fact, that many of the boys had taken to wandering about with their shirts off, including Dakin – and Posner was beginning to think he should carry a bucket of cold water around to pour on his head, as this was leading him to entertain thoughts that good Jewish boys shouldn't have.

47 – Moon  
David heard a commotion outside the halls, so stuck his head out his window to see what was going on, just in time to see his friends from Sheffield yank their trousers down to moon Cambridge's rowing team (who had just lost), causing him to groan and bury his head in his hands while debating whether or not to help them out; Dakin's shrieks of 'Posner, help!' made up his mind about interfering – he'd leave them to it for a while, they had it coming.

48 – Waves  
Posner was quite surprised to find that the Dakins had decided to holiday on the same beach as his family – same hotel even, he knew this because his mother (incurable gossip that she was) had come dashing upstairs to tell him so after she saw them check in – but he resolved that he was going to carry on as if they weren't here, he was taking a holiday from everything, including chasing after Dakin; therefore, he was quite surprised when said boy yanked him behind an outcrop and hissed at him 'to stop being such a fucking tease, poncing around all wet in your trunks' before pulling him in for a bruising kiss; Posner laughed and asked Dakin if he'd prefer the speedos instead.

49 – Hair  
Posner didn't understand Dakin's minor obsession with styling his hair, especially as he was of the opinion it looked best all mussed up from hands running through it, preferably his own.

50 – Supernova  
It was New Year's Eve and they'd gone down to London for the celebrations, and just as the countdown began Dakin turned to him and said "You know, it's good luck to be kissing someone at midnight," before leaning down to do so and all Posner could think was 'Fuck the fireworks, this is so much better' before kissing back.

(1)'I Just Called To Say I Love You' belongs to Stevie Wonder and came out in '84.  
(2)Refers to the Great Storm of 1987.  
(3)Posner is talking about 'Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word' by Elton John, which came out in '76.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own the History Boys, Alan Bennett does. If I _did_ own it, Posner would have gotten more than a hug – which is the whole point of these.  
This set: Mostly Dakin's POV

1 – Walking  
Stuart was strolling through one of the many green spaces in London on his lunch break, with the general feeling of apathy he'd had since leaving Sheffield five years ago, when he tripped over a foot stuck in his path; normally he'd ignore this and continue, but the sheepish yet unrepentant expression on Posner's - and what was _Posner_ doing there anyway - face made him pause...before smacking the other man on the shoulder and dragging him into an embrace.

2 – Waltz  
Dakin wondered absently if Hector had been smoking something and the fumes had permeated the room, or if he was going mad, or if there had been something in the water at lunch, but Scripps was playing the piano and Crowther and Rudge were tapping out a drumbeat and Timms, Lockwood and Akthar were humming and it just seemed perfectly natural to turn to Posner and sweep him into a dance, and quite honestly, the shockedhopefulhappy expression on the younger boy's face was the prettiest thing he'd ever seen.

3 – Wishes  
'If wishes were horses, then beggars would ride' Posner had said once, when the boys were talking about hopes and dreams and plans for the future, for Oxbridge, before pulling out his walkman and jamming the headphones on his head, and it's only later, when he's lying in bed after getting rat-arsed(1) with Rudge after Oxford creamed Cambridge at the boat race, when this memory floats across his conscious mind, and he realises that Posner stopped wishing a long time ago _and it was all his fault._

4 – Wonder  
Dakin would often wonder what it would be like to actually kiss Posner…but he would choose not to do anything in case it ruined everything.

5 – Worry  
It was only when a puzzled looking Posner opened the door that Dakin really realised that he'd just got a train to Cambridge for no other reason than he hadn't seen the other boy in over a week and was going out of his _mind_ imagining all the things that could have happened to him in that time while he wasn't there; the look on Posner's face when he told him this made it all worthwhile.

6 – Whimsy  
On reflection, Dakin thought as he prodded the growing bruise on his jaw, telling the boy who was halfway in love with him that the only reason he'd kissed the boy was because of a flight of fancy was a bad idea; though it was a very enjoyable kiss, and maybe Posner would let him do it again..?

7 – Waste/Wasteland  
It was upon remembering Hector's comment that they now have field trips to visit concentration camps that prompted the boys to go; the desolation combined with the still lingering despair got to them all, but it was Posner's whispered "my grandfather might be here" that caused Dakin's chest to ache.

8 – Whiskey and Rum  
Posner was going to kill him in the morning, Dakin thought, but plying him with whiskey when they got home from the cinema in order to see who he'd impersonate was just too much fun, especially as he was currently staggering round the living room looking mournfully at an empty rum bottle he'd dug out from somewhere. (2)

9 – War  
Stuart didn't know what was more poignant, the image of the wall coming down and the people of Germany celebrating, or David clutching his hand and muttering 'finally, _finally_ it's over, they can rest now.'

10 – Weddings  
Dakin was listening to Scripps ramble on about his engagement and what his fiancé was like and the plans for the wedding – Dakin had realised this would take a while so had managed to find a book – when Scripps suggested Dakin finally get married and settle down, as it was now only him and Posner left that weren't; Posner chose this moment to come in from the garden, and a mischievous grin spread across his face as he said "The only reason for that is because we can't decide which of us is wearing white," and Dakin cracked up at the expression on Scripps' face.

11 – Birthday  
Dakin was going to kill Scripps for remembering Posner was gay and organising the party-thing at a pub that didn't care about preference, because Posner had spent the last _hour and a half_ dancing with several different blokes and Dakin was _not_ amused; at this point Lockwood rolled his eyes, dragged Dakin to the dance floor and shoved him at Posner, who looped an arm around his waist and dragged him close and Dakin couldn't find it in him to be pissed off at Lockwood.

12 – Blessing  
Dakin had gone down to Cambridge for the weekend, and he and Posner were wandering round the park when they stumbled across Irwin on a break from filming (the film crew were eating fish and chips); Irwin took one look at them both, turned to Dakin and said "It took you long enough,", causing Dakin to groan and Posner to smile at their ex-teacher's odd way of approving.

13 – Bias  
For a laugh, Timms decided to ask Posner which of the boys was the most good looking; Posner raised an eyebrow and said "It's no good asking me, I'm biased," which made Dakin oddly pleased.

14 – Burning  
Dakin had been lying in bed for about 8 hours by the time Scripps ushered Posner in, along with the statement "he's driving us mad, you deal with him,"; Posner took one look at Dakin, placed a hand on his forehead, winced, left the room and came back with a cold compress and some paracetamol, causing Dakin to proclaim him an 'angel of mercy' and hug him.

15 – Breathing  
Dakin was a perfectly normal teenage boy, he tolerated school and he liked hanging out with his friends and he liked girls – and, ok, he occasionally liked guys as well, but he never did anything and besides, all the ones that had caught his attention were older, so that was alright – and those moments where he forgot to breathe when Posner was laughing properly, or looked like his world was crumbling, or was looking at him so earnestly or....well, that was just coincidence and nothing to do with the boy himself.

16 – Breaking  
Dakin had been bothered by the other boy for so long – not overtly, but he was always there, hovering, and it got really annoying – that he finally snapped and drove Posner off; he didn't expect the wrenching he felt in his chest as he watched the other boy run off after swearing to never see him again however.

17 – Belief  
Dakin knew he was falling when he started spending his Saturday mornings sat outside the synagogue, waiting for Posner, and trying to pick his voice out of the many when the hymns were being sung; he knew he had fallen completely the first time he stuck around to actually greet Posner, instead of leaving when he came out, and did so in Hebrew.

18 – Balloon  
The boys had gone to a fair, and immediately all the others had run off, not realising until lunchtime that they'd left Posner behind; it was Dakin that found him, curled up under a tree with a book of poetry he'd bought from a second-hand stall; Dakin hesitated, before plonking down next to Posner, shoving the balloon he'd won at him and mumbling out an apology.

19 – Balcony  
Dakin wasn't quite sure whether to thank or hurt Hector for making them perform the Balcony scene from _Romeo and Juliet_; he'd been told to read Romeo and, as Posner was they only one consistently good at playing female roles (meaning he didn't burst into giggles every five minutes) he'd been cast as Juliet; which led to Dakin's dilemma – he was acting out a _love scene_ with _Posner_, however, the other boy looked quite pretty when he was fluttering his eyelashes like that.

20 – Bane  
_Dungeons and Dragons_, Dakin decided, could go jump off a cliff and die; Scripps finally persuaded him into inviting Posner out for a drink, and Posner turned him down as he'd already arranged to go to a role-playing session run by one of the boys from synagogue, maybe another time – Dakin was not used to being rejected, let alone by Posner, and he _did __not__ like it._

21 – Quiet  
Dakin had learnt very early on to start worrying when Posner went quiet, as it meant he was thinking – and ok, sometimes he'd come out with something fun or profound, but generally it was just....weird.

22 – Quirks  
Stuart _had_ to have the bathroom shelf lined up a certain way, and David threw a fit if his books weren't in alphabetical chronological order; but despite their irritating little habits, they managed to live together quite well in Stuart's opinion, he knew that Jimmy at least had bet they'd have killed each other by now.

23 – Question  
David was biting his lip and shifting from foot to foot and for all the world looking like the awkward 14 year old who confessed and confided in him before girls and exams and uni got in the way; and Stuart smiled and laughed and said "Why not?"

24 – Quarrel  
They had been arguing for the last half hour, in the middle of the street, neither boy giving any ground to the other, and it was starting to annoy Dakin as they were right outside his window, which he couldn't close because then he would melt – Posner solved this problem by filling up a bucket of water and threatening to throw it at them if they didn't 'shut the fuck up now and take their gay domestic elsewhere' and really, Dakin had to laugh (even if it meant Posner threw the water at him instead).

25 – Quitting  
Dakin stared, dumbfounded, before saying, "You can't just give up, if you give up I don't know what I'll do, I'm too used to you being there!"

26 – Jump  
The most disconcerting thing about Posner, Dakin had found, was his tendency to climb high things like walls and trees and their ilk, with no thought as to the minor heart attacks he caused when he hurled himself off them with apparent disregard to his safety, and no warning.

27 – Jester  
Dakin had organised a sleepover, one last night of being as childish as possible before going off into the big wild world of university, and, of course, the felt tips and camera had come out as soon as the first person dozed off, unfortunately, this happened to be Posner and Dakin himself; however, Dakin's appreciation for the smaller boy grew greatly when Posner woke him up in order to get their revenge with sharpie markers – it grew even more when he walked past a mirror and realised that he had 'property of Pos' written on his forehead, which Posner had failed to point out – so much, in fact, that he decided to leave it there.

28 – Jousting  
David walked into the room just in time to see Stuart and Jimmy charge at each other with broom handles – needless to say, injuries ensued, and David had to patch them up; upon questioning, neither would admit to why they were trying to kill each other, but the smug look that crossed Stuart's face when David pressed a kiss to his hairline gave him an idea.

29 – Jewel  
Stuart tossed the little plastic ring in his hand a little, before throwing at David's head, accompanied by "You're mine, remember that."

30 – Just  
It figured, Stuart thought, walking down the street, that when he finally got over himself enough to give David a chance, the younger man had found someone else; but then he heard running behind him and there was a tugging on his arm and he turned round to be met with a searing kiss and "You didn't really think I'd pick someone over you, did you?"

31 – Smirk  
Dakin gulped as a devious smirk crossed Posner's face, he had just enough time to blink a couple of times before his lap was filled with warm teenage boy – who was _wiggling_ and that just wasn't _fair_ – and Posner had the gall to look innocent about what he was doing while apologising but 'the ground's wet' – which it was _not_, it was mildly damp at most – and then he _wiggled, __again_ – and Dakin gave in and dropped his head on Posner's shoulder and put an arm round him and muttered 'you're an arsehole' and Posner laughed –and _damn_ him for it – but Dakin couldn't help but grin.

32 – Sorrow  
Posner stood there staring at them with a empty look on his face, and Dakin felt the first twistings of guilt inside his stomach and reached out to touch Posner's shoulder; but Posner twisted away – _away_ from him, he'd _never_ done that before – and walked off, away, to someone else that wasn't him or one of their group and it _hurt_, it hurt _so much_ and it was all Dakin could do not to cry as he _knew_ they'd fucked up so _badly_ this time and they may not be able to set it right.

33 – Stupidity  
They'd been dancing for about close to an hour by Dakin's reckoning – purely by the force of his glare scaring anyone else off – before either of them actually said anything; Dakin was prompted to do so when Posner raised an eyebrow, causing Dakin to sigh and drop his forehead to rest on Posner's, before muttering "I'm an idiot", which caused Posner to smile a slow, happy smile and whisper "Yeah, but you're mine" and really, Dakin couldn't disagree.

34 – Serenade  
After Dakin had finally stopped being an ass and realised what had been in front of him all this time, he asked Posner if he'd sing 'Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered' for him again; Posner smacked him with a nearby pillow and told him he had no desire to relive one of the most mortifying moments of his existence and if he wanted it sung that badly, he could sing it himself...so Dakin did, looking at Posner the entire time.

35 – Sarcasm  
For years, the general consensus was that Posner didn't have much in the way of a sense of humour, it's only with the combined benefit of hindsight and prolonged exposure that Dakin realised that this wasn't the case; Posner had a wickedly sharp wit which manifested itself in sarcasm – which Posner was very good at, so much so that you couldn't tell he was using it – which meant he was often in hysterics while everyone else was trying to work out what the hell the Jewish man just said that was so funny.

36 – Sordid  
Akthar rolled his eyes at the others "Oh, leave them alone, if they want to be secretive let them; it's not like Dakin and Posner are having some sort of sordid affair..." he was interrupted by Posner and Dakin exchanging money while grinning "...you two _are_ having a sordid affair, aren't you?"

37 – Soliloquy  
Posner, when speaking on something he particularly enjoyed or was passionate about, would often begin rambling and go off on tangents until he'd forgotten what he was originally talking about and he'd trail off, embarrassed, which is when Dakin would nudge him with whichever body part was nearest (on one occasion this turned out to be his nose – Scripps still hasn't shut up about this), suggest a new topic, and watch it happen all over again because frankly, he found it adorable.

38 – Sojourn  
Stuart lay staring at the ceiling for a while, before saying "You know, this was only meant to be temporary," before he was silenced with a kiss and a sleepy "I'm sure," from David.

39 – Share  
Dakin stormed into Posner's flat (scaring the hell out of him) and demanded that the younger man stop going to 'those damn clubs and flirting'; when Posner manage to calm down enough to ask why, Dakin said "Because I never was any good at sharing," before pulling him into a bruising kiss.

40 – Solitary  
The thing that had never occurred to Dakin was that they were doing the _Oxbridge_ exams, not the Oxford or Cambridge exams; they'd been together as a group for so long, it had never occurred to him that they could be separated, so, after they'd all calmed down a bit post-acceptance party, he was sure that the status quo would be preserved as the call of 'Oxford!' went round the group...until it got to Posner, who said 'Cambridge' with this sad little half-smile, and Dakin felt _something_ in his chest shatter completely.

41 – Nowhere  
It was not the most romantic of moments – especially with 'Nowhere Man' by the Beatles playing in the background – but it was _this_ moment, with Timms and Lockwood doing increasingly bad impressions, egged on by Crowther and Akthar, and with Posner in absolute hysterics next to him – to the point that the younger boy was clinging to his arm in order to keep from falling off his chair – that he realised that yes, he was in fact in love with David Posner; now all he had to do was tell him...

42 – Neutral  
Dakin had been indifferent to Posner for so long – his opinion was that if the Jewish boy wanted to follow him, that was fine, as long as he wasn't annoying about it – therefore he was not prepared to bump into the man in a club, dressed in impossibly tight jeans, and apparently oblivious to his presence; but that was alright, he'd got Dakin's attention now, and he'd always liked a challenge.

43 – Nuance  
Posner wasn't a touchy-feely person – most of the time, there were occasions where he just _had_ to hug someone – but Dakin had become very good at reading the boy's body language, and so therefore knew exactly when the other boy needed a hand on his shoulder or a squeeze on the back of the neck or a hug or whatever, and he never failed to dispense them, regardless of where they were.

44 – Near  
It was weird, Dakin decided, not having Posner randomly pop up at his back or side, and it shocked – and slightly shamed – him to realise how much of a part the younger boy had in his life, so, could he have him back please?

45 – Natural  
Dakin liked a challenge – Fiona, she was the school secretary; Irwin, well he was a teacher, the ultimate prize really – so it was only natural that, when Posner finally gave up and started moving on, Dakin would choose to start chasing him.

46 – Horizon  
Dakin had never really seen the appeal in sunsets – sunrises, yes, the beginning of a new day symbolising a new start, etcetera – but he couldn't understand why people made such a fuss about the sun going down; that is, he did until he saw the orange glow casting a halo around Posner's hair.

47 – Valiant  
He'd put up a good fight, Dakin decided, rebuffing the younger man's advances, but there's only so many times you can say no to the kicked puppy look before giving in – which was why he was now curled up on a couch with Posner.

48 – Virtuous  
The thing with Posner was, that because he'd been so hung up on Dakin for so long, he'd never really done anything before, which meant that when Dakin finally did deign to give him a chance, he had to pretty much start from scratch with the fair-haired boy – however, there was much to be said for enthusiasm.

49 – Victory  
Dakin had come down to Cambridge with the other lads who had ended up at Oxford to celebrate Lockwood's birthday, where the boy in question pointed out 'Pos and his new bloke, he's not mooning over you anymore, great, hey?' Dakin did indeed toast this, but felt, on the whole, that it was a rather hollow victory.

50 – Defeat  
Upon informing Scripps that he'd agreed to go out for a drink with Posner, the other man told him that it'd taken 3 years, 8 months, and 27 days to give in since the first time the Jewish man had asked, 'and you can add another 4 years or so on for from when he first confessed'; Dakin snorted, and replied with 'no, it took that long for my common sense to kick in...why were you counting that anyway?'

(1)One of many British slang words for 'drunk', and this author's particular favourite.  
(2) Referencing Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean.


End file.
